SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics said it will release a smartphone with a curved display – and a $1,000 price tag.

The Galaxy Round has a curved 5.7-inch screen using advanced display technology called organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, technology. The Korean company said such a curved screen smartphone is the first in the world.

Samsung said the curve will make it easier to grip. The high-end gizmo has some features that make use of the display’s curve, such as playing the next song in a music playlist by tilting the phone to the left or to the right.

South Korea is the leader in developing curved digital display technology. Samsung and rival LG, the world’s two-largest makers of display screens, have both produced curved TVs using OLED displays.

The curved display is an initial step before handset makers develop smartphones with a flexible display that one day might be folded like a map, experts say.

Samsung offered the public a peak at mobile devices with flexible displays during a January gadget show in Las Vegas.

The Galaxy Round will be released only in South Korea for now. SK Telecom, the country’s largest mobile operator, will start selling the handset Thursday for $1,003 without a service contract, making it one of the priciest smartphones on the market.